The Cuckoo's Calling, J K Rowling/Robert Galbraith, Mulholland Books/Little Brown and Company, 2013, 448 pp
J K Rowling can sure write a good story. She proved that seven times over with the Harry Potter series. Some say she didn't do as well with her first novel for adults, The Casual Vacancy. I haven't read that yet so I can't say. Writing under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, she demonstrates her chops in The Cuckoo's Calling.
Call it a mystery, a thriller, or a work of crime fiction (it is all of those), she entertained me on every page. Private detective Cormoran Strike and his "temporary" office girl Robin are complex characters whom I grew quite fond of. It is a feat that supermodel Lula Landry comes across as a fully realized character even though she is dead throughout the entire book.
Then there is Rowling's knowing take on pop culture, fame, paparazzi, social networking fans, and too much money. I know that sounds like a lot of stuff but she weaves it in seamlessly.
Finally, I really don't like it when I can figure out who done it before a mystery ends. I had no idea until it was revealed.
That is all I am going to say because any more would spoil the reading experience one way or another. I hope she does a series. I want more of Strike and Robin.
(The Cuckoo's Calling is available on the shelves in hardcover and in eBook by order from Once Upon A Time Bookstore.)
No comments:
Post a Comment